As I watched Aaron Rodgers dismantle the Kansas City Chiefs defense last night I thought to myself, “Man, it’s been a long time since I wrote anything about Rodgers.” Then I looked around at my favorite Packer media outlets and realized no one has really written much about Rodgers recently either. Packers Twitter doesn’t discuss QB1 in great excess. In fact, Rodgers is often disqualified from radio and podcast conversations because he is so excellent. You can’t discuss the key to any game in reality, because Rodgers is the key.
So let’s talk. Rodgers is on pace to eclipse 4,100 yards and throw for 53 TDs against 0 interceptions. While it’s unlikely that the 2015 season actually plays out like that, it would be not only Rodgers greatest season, but the best season from a QB ever. Sure the national guys are talking about it. Sports Illustrated featured Rodgers on the cover and Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless yell about Rodgers all the time.
The last time Aaron Rodgers threw an interception at home was (on a double-pass trick play) was on December 2nd, 2012. The first Hobbit movie came out that week. “Die Young” by Ke$ha was the #1 song in the country. Ke$ha has since become Kesha and is suing Sony Records to try and get her career back, or something. He has thrown for 45 TDs and 5400 yards at Lambeau since that play happened.
I understand why it’s more interesting to write about the rest of the team. It’s hard to expand on: “Aaron Rodgers is awesome, right?”. It’s much easier to write about the rapid development of Damarious Randall, BJ Raji’s resurgence or how the offensive tackles are struggling. Those are are the topics to research, to analyze, to expand upon. “Holy sh*t, have you seen this Rodgers guy?!” is just too easy.
It’s unwise to continue to take Rodgers for granted. His level of play really should require us to stop and smell the roses. It’s unprecedented. Whatever you want to say about the “new” NFL and how its rules promote passing and inflate the statistics of quarterbacks but Rodgers is the all time leader in passer rating by 9.4%. 9.4%!
If you value passer rating as the measure by which to grade QBs (I don’t but you certainly could) Rodgers is 9.4% percent better than all of the other quarterbacks to ever quarterback. Granted this is a rating that tells me that Neil O’Donnell was better than Bart Starr but I digress.
There are franchises out there that have Jay Cutler as their quarterback, seriously. Just because Rodgers is so consistent and so efficient doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t be discussed. Just because he’s the key to every Packers game doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t be part of the conversation about the keys to the game.
Take the time to appreciate Aaron Rodgers. Take the time to talk about him with your friends that are Packers fans. You can talk about the rest of the team too. The rest of the team has been the most compelling conversation since about 2011. There will come a time when the Packers don’t have an All-Pro QB, but it’s not today. Feel free to wax poetic about the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.
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Ross Uglem is a writer at PackersTalk.com.
You can follow Ross on twitter at RossUglem
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2 responses to “Can We All Just Talk About Aaron Rodgers for a Minute?”
Remember back when Aaron was waiting to be drafted by the 49ers, but they left him in the lurch? I’m a big Packers fan. Also a big Cal Berkeley football fan, as well as a really BIG Aaron Rodgers fan! When the Packers drafted Rodgers, a Packers beat writer (don’t remember his name) had some very detrimental things to say about Aaron. He “held the ball funny” and “he threw it funny”. He was too slow and awkward, he couldn’t read defenses, and on and on. That writer declared Aaron just didn’t have what it takes to be an NFL QB! I wrote to the man and as tactfully and politely as I could told him he was totally full of sh*t. He wrote back and basically said I was an idiot and had no idea what I was talking about. Also, he claimed HE had a “panel of 18 experts” who he consulted with about everything football. They all agreed that Aaron just didn’t have what it takes and several college QBs on their way to the pros had more potential to be NFL QBs than Rodgers. I told this writer that I had been to many Cal games and watched Aaron perform. I had also seen every game on TV, live or recorded, when Aaron played. I saw Aaron FAR outplay Matt Leinart at the LA Coliseum! In that game, Aaron completed some 23 passes in a row. He was awesome! I knew he would become a great NFL QB, and he has actually far exceeded my expectations of him. I’ve come to the conclusion that a whole lot of football “experts” don’t know as much about the game as they want us to believe!
I remember the Dallas Monday night game when Brett got hit and I believe separated his shoulder.Arod came in and finished the game. My daughter was meeting me to watch the game after her graduate class that evening.Arod finished the game and though we lost he was like 19 for 21 for just over 200 yards and threw two TD passes.I said to my daughter that night,you know what Lea I think were going to be OK when Brett retires. Wow I think he did a little better then just OKAY.So many teams passed who really needed a QB at the time for a running back or a stud DL men. Most of them didn’t even have long NFL careers.Thank You Thank You Thank You.GO PACK GO!!!!!